I’m sure I’ll return to it in the future. A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. It tells the story of a young black woman who is wrongly accused of kidnapping while babysitting a white child, and the events that follow the incident. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid. : The Sunday Times bestselling essay collection, The Vanishing Half: Sunday Times Bestseller, Small Pleasures: A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick, This is the calling card of a virtuoso talent, a thrilling millennial spin on the 19th-century novel of manners that may call to mind another recent literary sensation. She spies on the lock screen of Emira’s phone (“always filled with information that was youthful, revealing, and completely addicting”), traps her at the kitchen table for awkward chats and begs her to join the family for Thanksgiving, with disastrous results. Prime members enjoy fast & free shipping, unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Prime Video and many more exclusive benefits. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, review: an exceptionally sharp portrait of liberal racism 4. Such A Fun Age is a gripping page-turner with serious things to say about racism, class, gender, parenting, and privilege in modern America. The novel is funny on two levels: firstly there's a hilarity in the way Reid paints certain characters, let's call them "well-meaning"; but the second layer of humour exists in the plane of "I had to laugh," that survival laughter we develop to combat the nonsense we experience on a daily basis. Check out our discussion questions below, but beware, spoilers ahead. The security guard accuses her of kidnapping, and is only appeased when Emira calls Peter. • Sara Collins’s The Confessions of Frannie Langton is published by Penguin. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 May 2020. Save Such a Fun Age is Kiley Reid's first novel Credit: Penguin Random House Francesca Carington; ― Kiley Reid, Such a Fun Age. About Such a Fun Age 'A new literary star' The Times The instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize When Emira is apprehended at a supermarket for 'kidnapping' the white child she's actually babysitting, it sets off an explosive chain of events. Kiley Reid’s Philadelphia-set debut, Such a Fun Age (Bloomsbury, £12.99), is a satire on white saviour syndrome, woke culture and virtue-signalling motherhood.That it manages this balancing act with such political finesse and humour is testament to the powers of its author, who, like her heroine Emira, the 25-year-old black baby-sitter, spent time nannying for white families. Such a Fun Age is about two women-- Emira Tucker and Alix Chamberlain. As disappointing as the book. . This makes it a fantastic book club pick as it addresses timely themes both on and off-line and questions … Rabeea Saleem Mar 13, 2020. Conditions apply. Such a Fun Age Kiley Reid (author) Hardback original. Available on orders $70 to $1000 Learn More Product details. This is a deft coming-of-age story for the current American moment, one written so confidently it’s hard to believe it’s a first novel. Also, don't get me started on the ending! He only dates black women, and seems to have exclusively black friends. This is the calling card of a virtuoso talent, a thrilling millennial spin on the 19th-century novel of manners that may call to mind another recent literary sensation. Before the late-night incident with her three-year-old daughter at the Market Depot, Alix Chamberlain barely noticed her black babysitter, let alone considered her thoughts or feelings. Such a Fun Age nestles a nuanced take on racial biases and class divides into a page-turning saga of betrayals, twists and perfectly awkward relationships . The story does wander a bit at times but quickly reverts to theme. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2020. Please try again. (Author of Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid (David Goddard) / David Goddard) At its core, this is a satirical look at class privilege and interracial relations. Such a Fun Age arrives at a point where the transatlantic mainstream ostensibly appears more open to the uncomfortable truths that critique white privilege. 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.4 out of 5.0 5 Stars 786 4 Stars 413 3 Stars 140 2 Stars 27 1 Stars 17 Performance. At the beginning of the book, we meet Emira Tucker having fun at a birthday celebration for one of her close friends. Alix opines that Kelley surrounds “himself with black people just so he can feel good about himself”, failing entirely to recognise herself in the mirror of her own remark. Such a Fun Age, her first book, was both a Sunday Times and a New York Times bestseller and was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. . Such a Fun Age (2019) is a debut novel from Kiley Reid, published by G.P. Exciting Times: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER and shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2020, Burnt Sugar: Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2020, My Dark Vanessa: The Sunday Times and New York Times Best Selling, Gripping, and Emotional Fiction Debut of 2020, Love and Other Thought Experiments: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020, The Shadow King: SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2020, Real Life: SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 BOOKER PRIZE, How Do We Know We're Doing It Right? Putnam’s Sons (an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC). The characters are great, it’s accessible and deeply thought-provoking all at once. “Such a Fun Age is a startling, razor-sharp debut. With compassion she examines love, trust and the longing for something - as well as race and class divide. I very rarely leave reviews on here but had to make an exception for this novel. It's not | Robin diAngelo. I found it cheesy, immature and at times I literally cringed, it feels best suited as a teen read. Buy this product and stream 90 days of Amazon Music Unlimited for free. ePub Cafe. Delivery. rears its head and is covered well. Save Such a Fun Age is Kiley Reid's first novel Credit: Penguin Random House Francesca Carington; The premise set the tone for a completely different book, and the one I ended up reading was quite flat with few gripping moments. What an amazing book, I truly enjoyed reading it from start to finish. What threatens to scupper the relationship isn’t the racial divide but Kelley’s racial tourism. The ending, as it is, is a tad glib and maybe unnecessary. Such a Fun Age is a gripping page-turner with serious things to say about racism, class, gender, parenting, and privilege in modern America.” —Madeline Miller, author of Circe “Such a Fun Age is a startling, razor-sharp debut. Such a Fun Age, her first book, was both a Sunday Times and a New York Times bestseller and was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. There are much better books out there that deal with inter racial relationships and issues way better : The Hate you Give is a great read and much better at addressing racism and it's consequences on characters. Such a Fun Age is a gripping page-turner with serious things to say about racism, class, gender, parenting, and privilege in modern America.” —Madeline Miller, author of Circe “Such a Fun Age is a startling, razor-sharp debut. It's both wildly fun and breathtakingly wise, deftly and confidently confronting issues of race, class, and privilege. Such a Fun Age is a book about identity, friendship and relationships by Kiley Reid. Save your money and buy Educated, Where The Crawdads Sing or any Zadie Smith instead. His keenness tips the scales suspiciously towards fetishisation: he’s “like that one white guy at every black wedding who’s, like, super-hyped to do the Cupid Shuffle”. Such A Fun Age is the first novel by American author (and former babysitter), Kiley Reid. Includes delivery to USA. The security guard accuses her of kidnapping, and is only appeased when Emira calls Peter. Yes, we all change and act a certain way in different company, but during an TV interview you'd at least expect some coherent sentencing. Such a Fun Age dissects the dynamics of white privilege with a lightness of touch as well as sharp observations, and an empathy that lends depth to all of its protagonists. Feels bound for book-club glory, due to its sheer readability” – Entertainment Weekly “Fun is the operative word in Kiley Reid's delectably discomfiting debut. But in Reid’s debut the incident heralds a caustically funny skewering of the sort of well-intentioned liberal who congratulates themselves on having black guests at dinner. 'Such a Fun Age is a startling, razor-sharp debut. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2020. such a fun age by Kiley Reid ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2020 The relationship between a privileged White mom and her Black babysitter is strained by race-related complications. Meanwhile, if you are interested in reading equally engaging novels about complex race relations or transactional relationships between mothers and babysitters/nannies, add the following books to your TBR piles: Such a Fun Age follows Emira, an underemployed black 25-year-old who splits her time between babysitting for a wealthy white family and working at Philadelphia’s Green Party office. Bloomsbury Circus; 1st edition (7 Jan. 2020), Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 February 2020. Kiley Reid has written a book with no easy answers, instead filling her story with delicious grey areas and flawed points of view. This is my first Amazon review, I felt so passionately after reading this book that I had to post. The novel is funny on two levels: firstly there's a hilarity in the way Reid paints certain characters, let's call them "well-meaning"; but the second layer of humour exists in the plane of "I had to laugh," that survival laughter we develop to combat the nonsense we experience on a daily basis. How did the narration impact your reading experience? Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2020. Do not believe the hype, I really do not get how this book is top of so many publications "Books of 2020". White people assume niceness is the answer to racial inequality. --NPR A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a … 'Such a Fun Age is a startling, razor-sharp debut. Putnam's Sons Format: ARC Paperback, 307 pages Source: Publisher Summary: Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven … To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. While some characters are able to do this naturally, other characters have a more difficult journey. A novel of the Philadelphia of today dealing primarily with the topic of inter-racial relationships both from an employment viewpoint and from a social aspect in the lives of young ladies, well educated, of both black and white origins. More books by Kiley Reid. Her employer Alix, a feminist blogger with the best of intentions, resolves to make things right. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Such A Fun Age is a gripping page-turner with serious things to say about racism, class, gender, parenting, and privilege in modern America. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid - Book. Kiley Reid has written a book with no easy answers, instead, filling her story with delicious gray areas and flawed points of view. When Emira starts dating Kelley, a white man who films the supermarket incident on his phone, we detect a similarly disconcerting earnestness. such a fun age by Kiley Reid ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2020 The relationship between a privileged White mom and her Black babysitter is strained by race-related complications. Average customer ratings. In one scene, her frustration with Kelley spills over: “I need you to get that like … being angry and yelling in a store means something different for me than it would for you.” It’s not opacity of vocabulary or vernacular that renders us so impenetrable to one another, the novel suggests, but rather our unwillingness to pay attention. ‘Such a Fun Age’ came out Dec. 31, and Elle magazine has already hailed it … … There may be a coincidence too many too conveniently. S author Kiley Reid offers a refreshing take on an age-old question: can we connect across barriers of race, gender, wealth and privilege? Approved third parties also use these tools in connection with our display of ads. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 January 2020. We use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. $16.00. Other formats/editions. Add to wishlist. Emira Tucker, one of the two main characters in Kiley Reid’s first novel, Such a Fun Age, is 26 and quietly freaking out. Kiley Reid has written a book with no easy answers, instead, filling her story with delicious gray areas and flawed points of view. Like “I think that women are often just asking for a seat at the table,” Alix said. A lesser novel would have lingered here, in territory that’s painfully familiar from countless viral incidents. Best books of 2020: The i staff’s reads of the year, from Such a Fun Age to Hamnet i’s experts reveal their favourite reads of 2020, from gripping thrillers to provocative political takedowns. It's both wildly fun and breathtakingly wise, deftly and confidently confronting issues of race, class, and privilege. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Such a Fun Age. -Madeline Miller, author of Circe. “Such a Fun Age is a startling, razor-sharp debut. The story toggles between Emira, offbeat, aimless and fresh out of college, and Alix, wealthy overseer of a woman-centric brand built on her knack for getting free merchandise by writing letters. It deserves to be hugely successful. It is absolutely phenomenal; engaging, important & refreshing. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. A friend once said ' Life is too short to read a bad book' so I gave up after 30% and started a different one. I very much looking forward to read more from her in the future. One of 2020’s standout novels for me, Kiley Reid’s terrific debut gives barbed commentary on problematic race relations and self-congratulatory white feminism. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. “But what’s heard is ‘I want special treatment,’ when that’s not the case.” A lesser novel would have lingered here, in territory that’s painfully familiar from countless viral incidents. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid [ePub] Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.epub. Her employer Alix, a feminist blogger with the best of intentions, resolves to make things right.But Emira herself is aimless, broke and wary of Alix's desire to help. Alix and Peter’s house gets egged after Peter blunders into a mortifying episode of on-air racism – while covering the story of a black boy inviting a white girl to prom, he blurts: “Let’s hope that last one asked her father first.” In the wake of her husband’s racist faux pas, Alix resolves to befriend her black babysitter: “to wake the fuck up … To get to know Emira Tucker.” This desire intensifies until it begins to seem like a kind of neurosis, leaving her in thrall to feelings that aren’t “completely unlike a crush”. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. The topic of 'who can you trust?' This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. I had thought of ending this review by predicting that Reid may be the next Sally Rooney. But. Such A Fun Age: Further Reading Since this is a debut, we will have to wait a bit longer to read more of Kiley Reid’s works (although hopefully not too long!). The illuminating examination of Emira’s inner life, the deep anxiety of a young woman whose life choices are dictated by the demands of rent and health insurance, gives the novel the flavour of a bildungsroman. Did you relate more to one woman than the other? The novel quickly garnered critical acclaim, including a NY Times Bestseller spot, and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award in 2020. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2020. This is the situation that Kiley Reid's protagonist, Emira, finds herself in at the start of her novel, SUCH A FUN AGE. Conversations are failures in communication. Add to basket. There's a problem loading this menu at the moment. I had thought of ending this review by predicting that Kiley Reid may be the next Sally Rooney. 2 copies available online - Usually dispatched within 48 hours. The supermarket incident prompts not anger but wry self-reflection: “more than the racial bias, the night … came back to her with a nauseating surge and a resounding declaration that hissed, You don’t have a real job.”. “Alex was alone, and the one thing she still had was the freedom to follow the narrative that suited … Such a Fun Age is a 2019 novel by Kiley Reid. This is a deft coming-of-age story for the current American moment, one written so confidently it’s hard to believe it’s a first novel. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 March 2020. Such a Fun Age - Kindle edition by Reid, Kiley. © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All in all, it’s a cracking debut – charming, authentic and every bit as entertaining as it is calmly, intelligently damning. Emira Tucker, who works in Philadelphia as a babysitter for news anchor Peter and lifestyle guru Alix, takes their toddler, Briar, to an upscale supermarket where suspicions are stirred because she is black and the child is white. Did that change as you read the novel? I really don't understand why this book comes so highly rated - and I'm not alone. . Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid available in Hardcover on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. Such a Fun Age: 'The book of the year' Independent, Choose from over 13,000 locations across the UK, Prime members get unlimited deliveries at no additional cost, Dispatch to this address when you check out. The Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender. Kiley Reid’s debut novel Such A Fun Age (Bloomsbury, $29.99) ticks both boxes and is gathering loyal fans for its whip smart and funny commentary on race, class and privilege. “Such a Fun Age is such a fabulous book–a crisp, wry, and insightful novel about class, race, and relationships. Like many a young person drifting between part-time jobs, she’s most consumed by angst about what the hell she’s doing with her life. Ahead of the new format … And yes, *she* is. Sorry, there was a problem saving your cookie preferences. Did that change as you read the novel? Granted, the beginning of the story matched the tone the premise set, but after that the plot took a disappointing nosedive and I barely got through the book. A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. Such a Fun Age is a gripping page-turner with serious things to say about racism, class, gender, parenting, and privilege in modern America." As Such a Fun Age goes on, it gradually becomes clear that Kelley and Alix have a deeply connected past, one that has left each convinced that the other is the real racist. Such a Fun Age is a much-hyped debut novel from Kiley Reid, and it’s definitely going to be *the* book club book of 2020. We read this as part of our book club and out of 7 of us 5 gave up and the other 2 said it didn't get any better. kileyreid.com | @kileyreid. Language styles of toddlers, yummy mummies and Emira’s homegirls are captured pitch-perfectly in the novel while true understanding flickers always out of reach. REVIEWS: Such a Fun Age The Washington Post The Guardian GoodReads Book Companion A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. This is the situation that Kiley Reid's protagonist, Emira, finds herself in at the start of her novel, SUCH A FUN AGE. 'A new literary star' The TimesThe instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Longlisted for the 2020 Booker PrizeA Times, Guardian, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, Red, Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan Book of the YearWhen Emira is apprehended at a supermarket for 'kidnapping' the white child she's actually babysitting, it sets off an explosive chain of events. Such a Fun Age is a gripping page-turner with serious things to say about racism, class, gender, parenting, and privilege * Madeline Miller, internationally bestselling author of 'Circe' and 'The Song of Achilles' * Kiley Reid has written a timely novel that asks what we owe to those we care for in this complicated world. ISBN-13: 9780525541905 Summary A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. But Such a Fun Age is so fresh and essential that I predict instead that next year we’ll be anxiously awaiting the next Kiley Reid. It skillfully interweaves race-related explorations with astute musings on friendship, motherhood, marriage, love and more, underlining that there’s so much more to us than skin. I bought this because of the rave reviews , and because I wanted to be in the cultural loop. The microphone attached at her collar bounced her voice to the back of the house. With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such A Fun Age explores the awkwardness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone ‘family’, the complicated reality of being a grown-up and the consequences of doing the right thing for the wrong reason. Kiley Reid has such a sharp eye and brilliantly describes the world we live in. It's both wildly fun and breathtakingly wise, deftly and confidently confronting issues of … Such A Fun Age brilliantly eviscerates”woke” culture and lays bare the duplicity that lies beneath. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness. (NPR) A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a bighearted story about race and privilege, set around a young Black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. Bloomsbury is to embark on "one of its biggest campaigns" ahead of the paperback release of Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Yet to call this a novel about race would be to diminish its considerable powers, just as to focus on race alone is to diminish a human being. Hardback (07 Jan 2020) $17.58 ; In Stock. This is the situation that Kiley Reid's protagonist, Emira, finds herself in at the start of her novel, SUCH A FUN AGE. Of kidnapping, and Gender Kingdom on 14 March 2020 all at once a teen read attached her. Fun at a point where the transatlantic mainstream ostensibly appears more open to the or., razor-sharp debut at our questions, and Gender been paid off or jumped on a bandwagon,,. Exclusive benefits American moment, one written so confidently it’s hard to it’s... We don ’ t the racial divide but Kelley ’ s Sons ( an of! 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